Chunghwa Post has previously released “Corals of Taiwan” stamp sets on January 8, 2014, as well as September 10, 2015 and July 14, 2016. Now it is following up with a new set of four stamps. The designs follow:
1. Leptoseris yabei (NT$6): Colonies of this stony coral feature vertical or horizontal plates. In large colonies, the plates are often layered in whorls. Their surfaces are covered with radiating ridges and wrinkles. Living specimens are yellow, light brown or beige. They can be found throughout coral reefs in Taiwan’s waters.
2. Clavularia viridis (NT$6): Colonies of this soft coral are made up of several large independent polyps, connected by stolons or thin tissues. Each polyp has eight tentacles with long and dense feathery margins. Living specimens are green or yellowish brown with red basal stolons. They can be found throughout coral reefs in Taiwan’s waters.
3. Lobophytum crassum (NT$15): Colonies of this soft coral have thick fleshy tissues, with radiating ridges on their surfaces. Living specimens are yellowish brown, pale yellow, pale green or green. They are mainly found in coral reefs in the waters of southern Taiwan.
4. Melithaea formosa (NT$15): Colonies of this soft coral are flat, giving them the appearance of small fans. Living specimens are usually bright red, with white or transparent polyps densely covering the sides and fronts of the branches. They are mainly found in coral reefs in the waters of northern and northeastern Taiwan.

    A pictorial will be also released on the stamps’ date of issuance. The pictorial contains 16 stamps and 16 maximum cards of this series interspersed with exquisite pictures for the public to realize the beauty and diversity of corals of Taiwan.

To purchase the relative philatelic products, please go directly to the post office branches, Postal Museum or order on line at https://stamp.post.gov.tw.